West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-11-04
BEFORE THE REVOLUTION.
An Interesting Newspaper Relic.
Roanoke { Va Times.

brought to the Times Office yester-
day copy of the Maryland Journal
and the Baltimore 4dvertiser, OF
Friday, August 20, 1773. The pa
per is folio, 12x1S inches in di-
mensions, and is yellow with age.
The reading matter on the first page
is minion type of old style; on the
second, third and fourth is old style
BREWER. 1t is filed with literary
matter, current news and advertise
ments, the latter being especially
numerous considering the size of
the paper and the time it was issued,
showing that the people of Balti-
more, even in these olden days,
knew the value of this medium in
acquainting the public with their
wares and wants. 1t also contains
a market report, from which it is
learned that flower sold for from $5
to 1925 per barrel, bar iron for
$130 per ton and pig iron for $40 a
ton. West India rum was worth
fifty eight cents a gallon with plen-
ty of buyers then as now. no doubt).
Corn was forty-fve cents bushel,
salt 334 cents per bushel, pork was
$l2.16 cents barrel and sugar 81
cents a pound. Rewards of $50 and
$25 are offered for runaway white
man and an absconding negro, re-
spectively, and among the advertis-
| ing notices is the following from the
then comparatively unknown George
Washington:
Mt. Vernon IN "a. July 10, IT'S.
The Subscriber having obtained
Patents for upwards Of TWENTY
THOUSAND Acres of LAND on
the Ohio and Great Kdnaochd (Ten
Thousand of which are situated on
the banks of the aforementioned riv-
er. between the mouths of the two
Kanawbas, and the remainder on
the Great KdndWhd or NeU Rtcer,
from the mouth, or near it, upwards,
in one continued survey proposes
to divide the same into any fixed
tenements that may be desired, and
lease them upon moderate terms, al.
lowing a reasonable number ofyears
rent free, provided, within the space
of two years from next October,
three acres for every fifty contained
in each lot, and proportionably for a
lesser quantity, shall be cleared,
fenced and titled; and that, by or
before the time limited for the COM
mencement of the first rent, five
acres for every hundred, and pro-
portionably, as above, shall be en-
closed and laid down in good grass
for meadow; and moreover, that at
least fifty good fruit trees for every
like quantity ofland shall be planted
on the premises. Any persons in
clinable to settle on these lands may
be more fully informed of the terms
by applying to the subscriber, near
Alerandria. or in his absence, to
Mr. LUND WASHINGTON; and
would do well in communicating
their intentions before the lst of Oc-
tober next, in order that sufficient
number of lots may be laid off to
answer the demand
AS these lands are among the first
which have been surveyed in the
part of the country they lie in, it is
almost needless to promise that none
can exceed them in luxuriance OF
soil. or convenience Of situation, all
of them lying upon the banks either
of the Ohio or KandWha, and
abounding with fine fish and wild
fowl of various kinds, as also in
most excellent meadows, many OF
which (by the bountiful hand of ma
ture) are, in their present state, al.
most fit for the scythe. From every
part of these lands water carriage is
now had to Fort PITT, by an easy
communication and from Fort Pitt
up the MOnongaheld, 30 Redstone,
vessels of convenient burthen, may
and do pass continually; from
WHENCE by means of Cheat Rfcer,
and other navigable branches of the
Monongahela, it is thought the por-
tage to PotoWmack may and will, be
reduced within the compass of few
miles. to the great ease and conven-
ience of the settlers in transporting
the produce of their lands to mar
ket. To which may be added, that
as patents have now actually passed
the seals for the several tracts here
offered to be leased, settlers in them
may cultivate and enjoy the lands in
peace and safety, Notwithstanding
the unsettled counsels respecting
new colony on the Ohio; and as nc
right money is to be paid for these
lands, and quitrent of two shillings
STEERING hundred, demandable some
years hence only, it is highly pre-
sumable that they will always be
held upon more desirable footing
than where both these are laid on
with very heavy hand. And it
NAV not be amiss further to observe,
that if the scheme for establishing a
new government on the Ohio, in the
mannar talked of shnnld eyer be eff